Goodbye, 2020. But these communications trends are here to stay.

Who else is looking forward to putting 2020 behind us? *raises hand*

This year brought the world a lot of turmoil – from a global pandemic, to racial and political divides, to economic strife. With that, 2020 has caused communications professionals to have to pivot, change and adapt at a breakneck pace.

But professional communicators across the globe rose to the challenge with smart and innovative thinking. We were resilient. We solved problems. And we made changes to the very foundation off which we work.

While there are some trends that I hope will level off – fewer Zoom meetings, please? – there were many trends developed out of climate and necessity that are here to stay and will continue to evolve into the future.

Here are a few of my top predictions:

1. Virtual events are here to stay. Even after people are comfortable gathering in groups again, tactics like live digital events and real-time social engagement are not going away. They are often less expensive to host and more convenient to attend. As such, expect many media events, conferences and speaker series to never return to the physical space. Virtual event platforms and producers will be in high demand, so find and vet your partners now. And make sure this tactic is seamlessly integrated into your annual communications plan.

2. PR will be less about communicating marketing language, more about communicating brand values. PR has always been about authentically communicating the brand to relevant audiences. But the loss of trust in institutions means that effective PR teams will be responsible for strategically expressing brand and values to earn back the trust of consumers. These brand values should shine through in all brand communications – from traditional media relations, to influencer and brand partnerships to paid and owned content and channels. So make sure to involve your PR team early and often across all forms of brand communication.

2a. DEI efforts are table stakes. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion promises made in 2020 aren’t going away. In fact, employees and consumers alike will be holding brands accountable for meaningfully following through with the pledges made and are expecting continued commitment to these efforts in the coming year and beyond. DEI efforts and language will be engrained in corporate values, culture and communications. Dedicated DEI positions will continue to be created within corporations and progressive comms agencies will have DEI program and communications experts.

3. Social Influencers will continue to grow faster than ever. Social media usage rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pace of social influencer growth has accelerated. It took YouTube it took 14 years for a single channel to reach 100 million subscribers. This November, Charli D’Amelio hit 100 million TikTok followers. As such, brands should leverage social listening and community management to find and engage influencers and brand ambassadors that resonate with their audience early before they are outside of budget.

4. TikTok is officially a player. Once considered an app to reach largely teenage girls, TikTok has really come into its own this year. Today, TikTok boasts 100MM monthly active users in the US – up 800% from 2018. What’s more, 46% of US TikTok users are in their 20s and 30s, and active users spend a whopping 52 minutes PER DAY on the app. As such, we’re now seeing many top brands dive head first into the platform as an authentic way to reach a vast audience – both from a paid and organic perspective. While TikTok isn’t right for all brands, it’s time for your brand to at least consider the platform.

5. Smart companies will prioritize employee engagement. For many, the days of working in an office 40 hours a week is a permanent thing of the past. With remote work now commonplace, corporate communications teams will be challenged to thoughtfully and meaningfully engage employees. Not only will communicators need to include general corporate information, they will also need to increase focus on health and wellness, team-building and creativity. It will require new technology tools as well as unprecedented strategic involvement by corporate comms professionals. 2020 forced us to change quickly. Now, how do corporate communicators keep remote workers engaged permanently?

In a post-COVID world, communications pros will be challenged to push big ideas that drive media attention, communicate brand values, bridge the virtual and physical, and engage customers and employees where they’re at. To do so, we’ll need to ideate, innovate and reinvent the practice to ensure our companies and brands continue to resonate. I, for one, am up for the challenge.

So, tell me – what are your predictions for 2021?